Thursday’s Buzz: 11.8.12

Despite the LGBTQ Co-op’s large following at Yale, some students are looking to create new outlets for LGBTQ students. Fonzy Toro ’15 created De Colores, a group for Latino LGBTQ students, at the beginning of this school year, and now students in the Asian-American Cultural Center are creating an LGBTQ group for Asian students. The organizers of these groups said the smaller student organizations provide a space for more intimate discussion and self-exploration than existing LGBTQ resources on campus, adding that perceptions of sexuality can vary across racial groups.

Common was decked out on Wednesday night in flags and lights to host a dinner celebrating the Muslim festival Eid. Hosted by the Yale Muslim Students Association and the University Chaplain’s Office, the event — which is in its 11th year — attracted about 520 Muslim and non-Muslim students, faculty and members of the local Muslim community. Although the festival was actually on Oct. 26, the MSA postponed the celebration because it fell during fall break.

The Graduate Student Assembly has unveiled a new legal aid program to address student concerns about a lack of legal services offered by the University. The initiative, which was launched with the help of University General Counsel Dorothy Robinson, allows graduate and professional school students to meet with a member of the New Haven County Bar association for free one-on-one advice during monthly “Ask-a-Lawyer” sessions — the first of which will be held Thursday. Students can also consult a newly compiled list of local attorneys who will offer free private consultation and reduced service fees.